Pueblo Reservoir Fishing Guides and Conditions, Colorado
Colorado's premier warmwater reservoir, an Arkansas River impoundment below the Front Range that produces walleye, wipers and smallmouth in a state better known for trout.
Guides on the Pueblo Reservoir
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About the Pueblo Reservoir
Pueblo Reservoir is the exception to almost everything a visitor assumes about Colorado fishing. It sits at forty-nine hundred feet on the Arkansas River just west of the city of Pueblo, in dry shortgrass and pinyon country well below the Front Range, and it is a warmwater fishery in a state whose reputation is built on cold mountain streams. At full pool it covers about forty-six hundred acres with sixty miles of shoreline, most of it rock, and it is the centerpiece of Lake Pueblo State Park.
Walleye are the signature species and the reservoir is the state’s most important walleye water, supplying eggs to Colorado Parks and Wildlife hatcheries each spring. Wipers, the hybrid of white and striped bass, are the other headline: they school, they feed violently on the surface in the warm months, and chasing boils on a summer morning is the most exciting fishing the reservoir offers. Smallmouth bass are abundant on the rock, largemouth occupy the coves, crappie stack on submerged structure, and channel catfish are plentiful and mostly ignored. Rainbow trout are stocked and fished mainly in the cold months and below the dam.
Water level is the governing variable. This is a Bureau of Reclamation storage and irrigation project, and the pool swings substantially between spring fill and late-summer drawdown, changing which points, coves and submerged features are in play. The reservoir is large, open and exposed, and afternoon wind out of the southwest is a regular feature that ends more fishing days than weather does. Boat ramps are managed by the state park and mandatory watercraft inspection for aquatic nuisance species applies at every launch. The tailwater below the dam is a separate and well-regarded cold-water fishery in its own right, holding trout year round, and it gives a guided party somewhere productive to go on days when wind makes the open reservoir unfishable.
Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.10 ft → steady
Reading taken 60 min ago at USGS 07099350, PUEBLO RESERVOIR NEAR PUEBLO, CO.. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
North Marina - the main state park launch, with the largest ramp and full facilities.
South Fishing Area - south shore access with a ramp, shore fishing and quieter water.
Rock Canyon - the east end below the dam, with shore access and the stocked trout water.
The dam and the deep east basin - the primary walleye ground through the summer.
The Arkansas River inlet at the west end - current, turbid spring water and staging fish.
Submerged rock points along the north shore - smallmouth bass and crappie structure.
Pueblo, ten minutes east - lodging, tackle, licenses and mandatory watercraft inspection stations.
Seasons
Spring: the walleye spawn and the egg-take run in March and April, with fish shallow and the best numbers of the year.
Summer: wipers school and boil on the surface at first light, while walleye and smallmouth hold on the deeper rock.
Fall: drawdown concentrates fish on remaining structure and the largest walleye of the year are caught.
Winter: the reservoir rarely locks up fully; trout fishing below the dam and from shore carries the cold months.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Pueblo Reservoir?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Wiper on the Pueblo Reservoir in Colorado.
Where can you access the Pueblo Reservoir?
North Marina - the main state park launch, with the largest ramp and full facilities. South Fishing Area - south shore access with a ramp, shore fishing and quieter water. Rock Canyon - the east end below the dam, with shore access and the stocked trout water. The dam and the deep east basin - the primary walleye ground through the summer. The Arkansas River inlet at the west end - current, turbid spring water and staging fish. Submerged rock points along the north shore - smallmouth bass and crappie structure. Pueblo, ten minutes east - lodging, tackle, licenses and mandatory watercraft inspe...
When is the best time to fish the Pueblo Reservoir?
Spring: the walleye spawn and the egg-take run in March and April, with fish shallow and the best numbers of the year. Summer: wipers school and boil on the surface at first light, while walleye and smallmouth hold on the deeper rock. Fall: drawdown concentrates fish on remaining structure and the largest walleye of the year are caught. Winter: the reservoir rarely locks up fully; trout fishing below the dam and from shore carries the cold months.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Pueblo Reservoir?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Colorado agency site: https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Fishing.aspx